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Throwing a Dinner Party? Create a Stir With Three Classic Cocktail Recipes

Cocktails are a fun way to get any dinner off to a great start. Mix it up with these tips from London's top mixologists

By

Jemima Sissons

Aug. 14, 2014 6:47 p.m. ET

ALEX KRATENA STANDS BEHIND his bar at Artesian passing some twigs of fresh wormwood to his fellow barman, Simone Caporale, who inhales the sweet herby scent. "Without this plant, you cannot make a Martini," says Mr. Caporale. Wormwood is the base herb for vermouth, a vital ingredient for the classic cocktail.

Framing the mixologists on the back bar is an array of imitation skulls, mugs in the form of sheiks' heads and mini sombreros that hint at the bar's theatrically playful cocktails. Artesian's inventive...